


Paradise Found

by MamoruSanSan



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Slight Apple Pie Innuendo, Swan Queen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-15
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-26 22:46:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6258781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MamoruSanSan/pseuds/MamoruSanSan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So much has happened in the 5 years since Emma Swan came to Storybrooke. So many lives and loves lost. Returning home from the Underworld empty handed, Emma is torn but vows to keep her chin up. In an attempt to keep her friend's spirits high, Regina invites her to a picnic just for the two of them. What results may change their relationship forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paradise Found

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kfruitcup93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kfruitcup93/gifts).



> This was a Swan Queen ficlet for my friend Kat. I'm not a Swan Queen shipper, since my Swan ship is, and will always be, Swanfire, but that ship has been set aside in canon. And I will definitely take Swan Queen over Captain Swan any day.
> 
> I hope I do the SQ fandom justice!

From day one, it had been a roller coaster ride. They clashed when they first met, they fought constantly throughout their first year of meeting, and they actively tried to destroy each other when it came to trying to determine the well being of their shared child. Emma Swan knew that she had no legal right to her child, she did willingly give him up after all, but after only spending that car ride back to Maine, she had felt such a pull by him. In her, the feeling of wanting to be by his side and protect him surged, especially after he had so strongly whined about not wanting to go back home. It didn’t take long for her to wish she could have taken back the closed adoption.

Regina Mills had been taken aback the day her son brought his birth mother into Storybrooke. Emotions that she hadn’t felt in a long time started to boil inside her, and she was no stranger to a whole array of emotions: For the previous 28 years, she had felt dissatisfaction, reliving the same day over and over again. For the previous 10 years, she had felt something akin to joy, having Henry in her life, but along with that joy, she also felt the nagging sense of inadequacy. It felt like he was rejecting her with all his being, 

But when she saw Emma Swan standing on her doorstep with Henry, everything she had felt in the past boiled into one steaming emotion: absolute hate. She had someone in front of her that could undo the happiness she had tried to create. Someone who could take her child away. Someone who had already stolen his love from her, and she was determined not to let someone she loves get taken from her again. And thus began the two year feud between the ladies over the boy that they both wanted solely to themselves.

So how did it come to this?

Regina paced nervously at the base of the Toll Bridge. She hadn’t been this jittery since they day she and Daniel had tried to run away together.  _ And that turned out to be a disaster. _ She thought to herself bitterly. She could feel her palms growing more and more sweaty inside her leather gloves as the meeting time grew closer and closer. 

_ This is a mistake.  _

She could hear her voice repeating that line over and over again in her head.

_ This is a mistake. Just go home. _

She closed her eyes and breathed. In. Out. In. Out.

As she took her third breath in, she could hear the tell-tale sign of the rumbling of that old yellow bug coming across the bridge. She opened her eyes as the car’s brakes squealed to a halt. From the car emerged that confrontational blonde woman she had grown so fond of but was always terrified of admitting that to. Emma came down the hill and approached Regina with a smile, clad back in her usual red leather jacket. 

“I prefer you in red, Miss Swan.” Regina said, trying to keep her voice stable, not to give away how nervous she felt. “Black is my color.”

Emma chuckled, her face slightly pink in color. “I’d hate to step on your toes, Regina. Any more than we have already done over the past 5 years.” She glanced over Regina’s shoulder to see what had been laid out on the grass near the river. A picnic blanket had been laid out, along with a basket. Emma was certain she could smell the intoxicating smell of apples coming from inside. “You’ve certainly come prepared.”

Regina held out her hand which Emma took gently.  She led her to the blanket, and the two ladies plopped down next to each other. The aroma from the basket was more intense now that they were sitting right next to it. Regina opened it and grabbed a freshly made apple pie from it and settled it down in front of her date.

“It would have been more piping hot if you had come earlier, Miss Swan.” she grumped, as she started cutting the slices into good portions.

“It would have been more piping hot if you had come on time instead of extra early.” Emma shot back, not giving any ground. Regina gave a hearty laugh and handed her a plate with a warm pie. Emma could feel her mouth watering from the scent alone. “If someone asked me a few years ago if I would voluntarily partake in your pie, I would have thought they were crazy.” She said, softly. “It’s funny how life turns out, doesn’t it?” After Regina handed her her fork, she dug in full-heartedly.

Each bite was heavenly, each extra lick of the fork ecstasy. She could feel the warmth of the cooked apples slither down her throat with each piece, her body growing hotter and hotter from the her taste buds exploding all inside her mouth. Her eyes fluttered under her eyelids, her body shivered under all the pleasure.

“Damn, that is one good pie.” Emma said, breathlessly, as she turned to Regina to complement her on her cooking. Regina had paused with a fork in her mouth, her face red. Watching Emma’s reaction to the pie had been enough to dispel all negative thoughts in her head. She could feel herself growing warm with happiness, something that she hadn’t felt in a long time, especially after she had lost a second True Love in Camelot. 

“Oh.” Emma said, reaching towards Regina’s face with her napkin. Startled, Regina recoiled back. “You’ve gotten pie on your chin.” Emma reached further and wiped the smeared the red from her face, resulting in much more red in the Queen’s cheeks.

“Thank you… Emma.” she said, softly. Emma paused and gave a warm smile. She hadn’t called her that since they had finished with the whole Dark One ordeal when Regina was convinced that Emma had been tempted by the darkness and had left the light for good. 

_ This is good. More than good. Amazing. _

“Thank you, Emma.” she repeated, more strongly. “For coming out here to join me.” Emma placed her hand on Regina’s, her eyes still lingering on Regina’s blushing cheeks.

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” She said. “I didn’t think I could recover after losing so many people I have loved, and I know you have felt the same, Regina. We have both lost so much. But you’re strong. I’m strong. And… this whole time, we have had each other. You’ve supported me when I needed it, and I’ve tried my best to support you when you needed it. I think….” She trailed off for a moment, glancing towards the rushing river. Regina put her fork down and placed her other hand on top of Emma’s.

“Emma….” 

“I think we deserve this peace.” Emma concluded, leaning forward to kiss her former adversary. Regina wholeheartedly accepted the kiss, the two sharing a gentle moment. 

As Emma pulled away, she licked her lips. The taste of apple was still strong on both their lips. The two ladies giggled happily and rested their foreheads on each other, fingers interlocking. 

“We should probably finish the pie, or it will get cold.” Regina whispered, breaking the silence. 

“I’ll finish  _ your _ pie.” Emma retorted, like a child. They broke down into another fit of giggles. They went to finish the rest of the delicious snack, on this breezy day with great company, and Regina blushed again. Softly, so that Emma could barely hear her, she said to herself,

“I’d like that.”


End file.
